10m FT8 RX on the cheap

With 10m in such good shape, perhaps it is time to remind readers of my very simple receiver for 10m FT8. It works remarkably well and could be built and cased for the cost a few coffees out. It frees up "the big rig" for something else. It was in RadCom not long ago.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx

10m FT8 RX

With 10m so good at the moment, may I remind you of my very simple and low cost 10m FT8 RX? 10FT8R is a DSB receiver than works remarkably well. You will not miss much of the action and it could be built for the cost of a few coffees out!

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx .

Low cost 10m FT8 RX

If you just want to monitor 10m FT8, may I recommend my 10FT8R receiver? This is easy to build, even "dead bug" style, yet works really well. It uses a low cost crystal, that is pulled. With this RX you will not miss much.

Mine was built ugly style, but worked well. It would make a great club project for a winter evening on a PCB. It would surprise me if it cost you more than a few cups of coffee out.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx.

10m FT8 simple receiver

This has been on before, so this is just a timely reminder. 

10m FT8 is becoming very popular and this receiver allows 10m FT8 reception without tying up the main rig. It is simple, very low cost and works really well.

I could probably convert it into a full FT8 transceiver!

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx .

Simple 10m FT8 RX as the Es season approaches

Now seems a good time to remind people of my very simple 10m FT8 receiver, the 10FT8R. Even buying all parts new, I doubt it would cost more than 4 cups of coffee out. It allows the "big rig" to be used for something else whilst keeping a watchful eye on 10m FT8. The design uses low cost crystals and a Polyakov mixer that requires injection at half frequency in a direct conversion RX. The design appeared in RadCom last year. It works remarkably well. My thanks to Jay, W5OLF for doing the schematic drawing.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx .

10FT8R receiver

At the moment 10m is in great shape with plenty of DX via F2 most days. We are also approaching the Es season in the northern hemisphere. My 10FT8R receiver (been on this blog before) makes a great, low cost, 10m FT8 RX. This is very inexpensive, yet works well.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx

10FT8R 10m FT8 RX

We are a few weeks away from the main Es season in the northern hemisphere. F2 propagation on 10m is very good again.

Often there is a need to monitor 10m FT8 without using the "big rig". You might like to consider my 10FT8R 10m FT8 RX. This is simple, works very well and is low cost. Mine never got beyond the breadboard stage (as you can see)!

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx .

10m FT8

 

With sunspots again good, 10m is again coming into its own. It is quite easy to copy stations on every continent in daylight now on 10m. More people are using FT8 now. This is a digital modulation that is even better than CW, handling and decoding very weak signals. It has already shown that the 10m band is "open" when many leave it.

If you are after a simple 10m FT8 RX that is effective and does not tie up "the big rig" how about my 10FT8R receiver? This is very simple and low cost, but works well.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx .

Simple 10m FT8 RX

These days, 10m is again in great shape. A very simple, but effective, FT8 receiver that does not tie up the main rig is my 10FT8R that appeared in RSGB RadCom last year. I built mine without a PCB, although a PCB would be ideal as a low cost club project.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx .

10FT8R 10m FT8 RX

This design is over a year old. It is very simple, but works well. It allows monitoring of 10m FT8 without tying up the main rig. You will not miss much.

See the 10FT8R webpage for details. 

I am sorry that the link was initially wrong. Hopefully it is now correct!

Simple 10m FT8 RX

In the Northern Hemisphere we are entering the Es season with DX up to about 1500km on most days. The season usually lasts most of the summer.  Also the sunspot count is climbing, so next autumn should be good on 10m too.

If you want an FT8 10m RX, you may want to take a look at my 10FT8R receiver.  This is very effective and does not miss much.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx .

10FT8R 10m FT8 RX

Once again 10m is good. On FT8 RX most days, most continents can be received on simple low wire antennas. 

When 10m is like this, it is quite useful to have a RX that does not tie up the "big rig". One such simple RX is the 10FT8R, which I designed and made about a year ago. It was in RSGB RadCom and is on my website where a clearer schematic may be found.  The crystal needed was low cost. If a 14.037MHz crystal can be found then the inductor is series with the crystal can be removed and the connection just shorted.

Despite its low cost and simplicity, it works really well. For "one offs" simple dead big construction is fine. As a club project a PCB would be useful.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx

10FT8R 10m FT8 RX

10m is again a great DX band. 

Back in the summer, the RSGB printed an article of mine on a very simple and low cost  RX for 10m FT8 called the 10FT8R. It is also on my website. 

Since then, I discovered a low cost source of 14.037MHz crystals, making the schematic even simpler as the inductor next to the crystal is not needed. With a PCB this would make a great club project in the years ahead in solar cycle 25.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx .

10m FT8 RX (Sunday)

 At about 0845z, my 10FT8R was turned on on 10m FT8 RX. No spots yet after 5 minutes.

UPDATE 1100z:  7 stations spotted, with furthermost IW8PQ (1928km) in Italy.

UPDATE 1235z: 13 stations around Europe spotted so far on RX.

UPDATE 2110z:   87 stations spotted today on 10m FT8 RX.  QRT.

10FT8R 10m FT8 RX

This weekend, I want to try my simple 10m FT8 RX with 14.037MHz crystals. 

As a benchmark, I want to try first with the original design, then swap crystals but without the toroid near the crystal. I should be able to net the crystal without the toroid.

The simple direct conversion RX uses a Polyakov mixer with injection at half fequency.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx .

UPDATE 1400z:  As expected, the even simpler circuit around the crystal works fine with plenty of South American stations immediately spotted. The map shows the stations spotted in just the last 30 minutes on the 10FT8R with the simpler circuit (no toroid) and a 14.037MHz crystal. It works. The revised  circuit is shown on the photo, without the crystal T50 toroid.

UPDATE 1622z: 175 stations spotted this afternoon with the 10FTR on 10m FT8 RX with the simplified circuit. It is impressive.

UPDATE 1746z:  193 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX with the 10FT8R.  It looks like the propagation is now stopping as darkness falls.

UPDATE 1911z:  QRT. No more stations for some while now.

10FT8R

This DSB 10m FT8 RX was in a recent RadCom and is on the g3xbm.co.uk website. It's a very simple circuit but works well and frees up the "big rig". 

10FT8R in RadCom (August)

All being well, my simple, low cost, RX for 10m FT8 should appear in RSGB RadCom in August. This is not certain.

My thanks go to Jay W5OLF for kindly doing the schematics. Jay is developing the circuit further. I hope it brings him success.

Yesterday on 10m FT8 RX with the tiny indoor loop antenna and the 10FT8R RX

In the last day 433 stations were spotted on RX including South America and the Caribbean using the 4 transistor direct conversion RX with the tiny 50cm loop on the shack windowsill.  10m, when good, is a great DX band. As the sunspots climb again we can expect great 10m daytime DX. 10m remains my favourite HF band.

10m FT8 RX (Wednesday)

It is now 0820z. I have been on 10m FT8 RX with the tiny indoor loop and the homemade 10FT8R direct conversion RX for about 5 minutes. So far today, 3 stations spotted on RX.

UPDATE 0944z:  28 stations spotted so far on 10m FT8 RX. 

UPDATE 1344z:  43 stations spotted so far on 10m FT8 RX. See map. All Es.

UPDATE 2019z:  61 stations spotted today.

10m FT8 RX today (Tuesday) with the 10FT8R and the tiny indoor loop

It is now 0855z. I have been on 10m FT8 RX for about 30 minutes and have spotted 11 stations so far using the 4 transistor RX and indoor loop.

UPDATE 1601z  So far today, 98 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX. See map.